LAS VEGAS, NV - Authorities have confirmed that the gunman who opened fire on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, killing three and critically wounding another, was a college professor who had applied to a job at the school and did not get hired.
According to the Associated Press (AP), authorities have identified the gunman as 67-year-old Anthony Polito. Polito previously worked at East Carolina University in North Carolina. As part of the investigation, police searched his apartment in Henderson, Nevada, and retrieved several electronic devices including Polito's cell phone.
ABC News reported that Polito was armed with a handgun during the on-campus mass shooting that left three people dead and a fourth critically wounded. The victims have been identified as faculty and/or staff, not students. Initial investigations suggest to detectives that the shooting was not random, but targeted at certain people due to previous relationships and/or interactions.
Authorities stated that the gunman was killed in a shootout with police who responded to the scene and that Polito fired at police first, which prompted them to shoot him. Detectives are examining Polito's phone and other items retrieved during the search of his apartment as the continue to look for clues about a possible motive for the attack.
Police are also reportedly looking through his personal writings to see if something in those texts may shed light on the events that transpired. At a news conference, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Sheriff Kevin McMahill said that lessons learned from the deadly mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip back in October 2017 helped authorities to work "seamlessly" in reacting to the campus attack.
In October 2017, a gunman opened fire from the window of a room at the Mandalay Bay casino, killing 60 people and wounding more than 400.
On Wednesday, December 6th, the gunman, since identified as Polito, opened fire around 11:45 a.m. on the fourth floor of the building that houses the University's Lee Business School. Polito then went to several other floors before being killed in a shootout with two university police detectives posted outside the building.
Authorities are still not sure how many of the school's 30,000 students were on campus at the time of the shooting, but McMahill said that students were gathered outside the building to eat and play games, and if police had not killed the gunman, "it could have been countless additional lives taken."
He added, "No student should have to fear pursuing their dreams on a college campus." Some witnesses reported hearing as many as 20 shots being fired. The victims have not yet been publicly identified. Classes have been canceled through Friday, December 8th.
University Police Chief Adam Garcia said that additional determinations will be made about whether campus will reopen on Monday, December 11th. According to CBS News, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman called the news "tragic and heartbreaking."
She said, "Praying for everyone on campus as law enforcement responds to the situation."
University President Brian Sandoval said it was "an unimaginably sad and shocking day for our entire state." He added, "We send our deepest sympathies and our thoughts are with the families of the multiple victims of this terrible tragedy. Today and in the days to come we are all Rebels."
According to the Associated Press (AP), authorities have identified the gunman as 67-year-old Anthony Polito. Polito previously worked at East Carolina University in North Carolina. As part of the investigation, police searched his apartment in Henderson, Nevada, and retrieved several electronic devices including Polito's cell phone.
ABC News reported that Polito was armed with a handgun during the on-campus mass shooting that left three people dead and a fourth critically wounded. The victims have been identified as faculty and/or staff, not students. Initial investigations suggest to detectives that the shooting was not random, but targeted at certain people due to previous relationships and/or interactions.
Authorities stated that the gunman was killed in a shootout with police who responded to the scene and that Polito fired at police first, which prompted them to shoot him. Detectives are examining Polito's phone and other items retrieved during the search of his apartment as the continue to look for clues about a possible motive for the attack.
Police are also reportedly looking through his personal writings to see if something in those texts may shed light on the events that transpired. At a news conference, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Sheriff Kevin McMahill said that lessons learned from the deadly mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip back in October 2017 helped authorities to work "seamlessly" in reacting to the campus attack.
In October 2017, a gunman opened fire from the window of a room at the Mandalay Bay casino, killing 60 people and wounding more than 400.
On Wednesday, December 6th, the gunman, since identified as Polito, opened fire around 11:45 a.m. on the fourth floor of the building that houses the University's Lee Business School. Polito then went to several other floors before being killed in a shootout with two university police detectives posted outside the building.
Authorities are still not sure how many of the school's 30,000 students were on campus at the time of the shooting, but McMahill said that students were gathered outside the building to eat and play games, and if police had not killed the gunman, "it could have been countless additional lives taken."
He added, "No student should have to fear pursuing their dreams on a college campus." Some witnesses reported hearing as many as 20 shots being fired. The victims have not yet been publicly identified. Classes have been canceled through Friday, December 8th.
University Police Chief Adam Garcia said that additional determinations will be made about whether campus will reopen on Monday, December 11th. According to CBS News, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman called the news "tragic and heartbreaking."
She said, "Praying for everyone on campus as law enforcement responds to the situation."
University President Brian Sandoval said it was "an unimaginably sad and shocking day for our entire state." He added, "We send our deepest sympathies and our thoughts are with the families of the multiple victims of this terrible tragedy. Today and in the days to come we are all Rebels."
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments